By Zak Khan Bellows couplings are most useful when connecting two components that experience perpendicular displacement about their shafts or components that undergo axial displacement often induced by thermal changes. Bellows couplings are torsionally rigid, so they can transfer rotation, but are laterally flexible, to accommodate misalignments. They have low moments of inertia and often […]
Bellows
How are bellows couplings made?
Bellows couplings consist of 2 basic elements—stainless steel bellows and two hubs. The hubs are usually made of steel, stainless steel or aluminum. Manufacturers often add a coating of zinc or nickel plating or other hardening finishes to protect the surfaces of the hubs. Perhaps the most important aspect of making a bellows coupling, is […]
MW Industries, Inc. announces acquisition of Helical Products Company, Inc.
MW Industries, a provider of highly engineered springs, specialty fasteners, machined parts, and other precision components, announced the acquisition of Helical Products Company, Inc., a manufacturer of standard and custom couplings, U-Joints, and machined springs. Located in Santa Maria, CA, Helical Products Company has served the domestic and international markets since 1961. Helical’s origins began […]
What do you know about Bellows Couplings?
A bellows coupling is a type of flexible coupling that features high torsional stiffness, low moment of inertia, and minimal restoring forces under misalignment. These characteristics make bellows couplings suitable for motion systems that require a high degree of accuracy, repeatability. Most bellows couplings use a stainless steel tube, which has been hydroformed to create […]
Bellows couplings for printing applications
Ruland, Marlborough, Mass. manufactures bellows couplings with high torsional stiffness that can accommodate all forms of misalignment and are well suited for large format printers, 3D printers, offset printers, web converting equipment, and print finishing equipment. Ruland’s bellows couplings are comprised of two anodized aluminum hubs and a stainless steel bellows, for a lightweight, low […]
Pick the right coupling for each high tech application
Selecting the right coupling for your application is critical to system safety and reliability, says Ruland Manufacturing Co. Inc., Marlborough, Mass., which manufactures a diverse couplings product line while providing technical support and application experience. Ruland’s coupling line includes rigid couplings with precision honed bores and five types of zero-backlash couplings: beam, bellows, disc, jaw, […]
Flexible couplings highlighted in new catalog
Huco Dynatork has published a new catalog which showcases its lines of precision bellows and flex disc couplings; six, three, single and step beam couplings; and general purpose Oldham, Uni-Lat and Flex P couplings. Friction clutches are also offered. The easy-to-use catalog serves as an engineering resource by providing an application design guide, installation guide, […]
Better coupling stiffness ensures consistent fuel injection testing
Michigan Custom Machines builds end of line functional test machines, primarily for the diesel and automotive industries. This particular application required a 400 lb flywheel to mimic the inertia of a diesel engine driveline. The flywheel was mounted to a shaft that needed to be coupled to a custom camshaft that is actuating a fuel […]
The Technology behind Edge Welded Metal Bellows
Edge welded metal bellows are manufactured by welding stamped, metal diaphragms into a long, flexible assembly. The key to the performance of the edge-welded bellows is the thickness and ripple profile of the metal diaphragms. The pressure, stroke length, spring rate and temperature help to determine the material and the thickness of the diaphragm required […]
Maintenance free couplings for heavy engineering
Extreme temperature ranges, high pollution levels, high vibration levels, and 24/7/365 operation call for engineered drive components which can take the abuse. Extending component maintenance intervals is a priority, since industrial gearboxes, electric motors, bearings, and drive shafts typically require at least partial disassembly and replacement of wear parts. A new solution involves zero maintenance, […]